Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 Explanatory Notes

Section 32: Court’s powers on appeal

70.Section 32 provides the Court of Appeal with broad powers. The Court of Appeal may confirm, quash or vary the Crown Court’s confiscation order and, where the Crown Court decided not to make a confiscation order, it may either go through the confiscation procedures itself or direct the Crown Court to proceed afresh.

71.If the Court of Appeal makes or varies a confiscation order or directs the Crown Court to go through the confiscation procedures afresh and the Crown Court has in the meantime imposed a fine or ancillary order such as a forfeiture order on the defendant as part of the sentencing process, subsection (4) requires the court to have regard to the fine or order. However, the court is not required to take account of an order if it has already taken account of the order in working out what the free property held by the defendant is (to avoid double counting – see the note on sections 19-21 above).

72.Under subsection (7), where a compensation order has been made against the defendant, the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court proceeding afresh must have regard to it but may not order its payment out of confiscated monies. This is to prevent different treatment on appeal from in the substantive proceedings.

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